When we knew he was good: His transformation from dashing to disabled as physicist Stephen Hawking in this fall’s The Theory of Everything.

Best strategy for landing and/or blowing a role: He met Theory director James Marsh at a London pub, and "it was at about 3 p.m.—that killer moment where you’re not sure if the other person will be drinking. I went bulldozing in for a pint, and he had a coffee, and I was like, ’Oh no.’I ended up having three or four more, so as it wore on, he got more wired and I got more pissed."

What’s next: The villain in 2015’s Jupiter Ascending, from The Matrix directors Andy and Lana Wachowski.